Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Waco - There was a moment, to be sure, when Parnell McNamara's Irish eyes welled up and shone like diamonds under the hot stage lights of the Hog Creek Ice House.

“Mikey...Mikey,
are you up there?” he asked, pointing to an elevated beer garden
built over the bar that looks out over the dance floor.

You
could see his younger brother wave, gesturing with his black cowboy
hat.

“Mike
has always been my partner,” said the veteran lawman, who for more
than half his career served as the Deputy U.S. Marshal in charge of
the Waco office of the western District of Texas of the U.S. District
Court. It is a post held by his father, T.P. McNamara, Sr.

Mike
McNamara now serves as the chief investigator for the Criminal
District Attorney, Abel Reyna.

Mike McNamara

Together,
they have a track record of bringing bad actors to justice, one of
whom, serial killer Kenneth McDuff, perished by lethal injection at
the hands of The People of the State of Texas following a career of
total ignominy, a man without a conscience, who perpetrated violence
upon his victims following his release on parole from a death
sentence that was commuted to a life term of confinement.

Texas Ranger Matt Cawthon

Then
the newly elected Sheriff introduced retired Texas Ranger Matt
Cawthon, another partner of his who has helped the brothers McNamara
recover numerous bodies of young women who were brutally murdered, as
his choice for Chief Deputy of the McLennan County Sheriff's Office,
“If he will have it.”

Ranger
Cawthon, who is seconded by the Texas Department of Corrections to
the U.S. Marshals' Fugitive Warrant Task Force following his
retirement as a Texas Ranger, readily gave his assent, then retreated
to the back of the throng in a struggle to conceal his rapidly
shifting emotions. Signs of elation, followed by the overwhelming
emotion of humility and the solemn acknowledgement of a new and
awesome responsibility captured, then abandoned his visage with rapid
succession.

It
was a radical departure from the usual stoic nature of these to
tight-lipped but sunny Jim personalities who have lived behind the
badge their whole adult lives.

Sheriff
McNamara told a standing room only audience and television viewers
throughout central Texas that his first act will be to form a drug
task force to serve as a special investigations unit that looks into
drug offenses and the miserable periphery of human degradation that
surrounds all such as that at every step.

There
will be a cold case squad that will be charged to work full-time on
older murder cases that remain open, either because no perpetrator
has been named, or because the victim's body has never been recovered
– or both. He and his posse have pinpointed 53 such cases. Those two units will be ready to roll on January 1 when the new administration takes over.

(click image for a larger view)

Parnell
McNamara, who campaigned on the promise of those two plans, clobbered
his nearest challenger, former Waco Police Officer and Chief District
Attorney's Office Investigator Willie Tompkins, bested his approval
by voters by more than twice the amount.

Following
a bitter campaign in which his qualifications to serve McLennan
County as Sheriff were repeatedly impugned by his challengers and
allegations of racism were leveled against his choice for Chief
Deputy, Parnell McNamara prevailed with flying colors.

As
of one hour after the polls closed, the new Sheriff in town had
received 28,542 votes to Mr. Tompkins' 12,594 – and the pattern
skyrocketed as the evening wore on.